International tourists pull back on US travel amid tariffs, other policies

International tourists from countries including Canada, Europe, and China are reportedly canceling their trips to the US amid the US government's sweeping policy changes, including tariffs on its trade partners.

"The trip [to the US] is already costly. Amid these circumstances, coupled with safety concerns and surging local prices, we decided to cancel the trip," a Beijing-based white-collar worker surnamed Li told the Global Times on Sunday, noting that she and her friends had initially planned a US trip during the May Day holiday, which falls from May 1 to 5.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice on April 9 urging Chinese tourists to fully assess the risks and exercise caution when traveling to the US.

Tuniu, an online travel platform, told the Global Times that it has received clients' inquiries to cancel their bookings for travel to the US and is actively assisting clients in this regard.

Arrivals of non-citizens to the US by plane dropped nearly 10 percent in March from a year earlier, according to data recently published by the International Trade Administration. Goldman Sachs Group Inc estimates in a worst-case scenario, the hit this year from reduced travel and boycotts could total 0.3 percent of GDP, which would amount to almost $90 billion, Bloomberg reported.

Canadian flight reservations to the US are down 70 percent through September versus the same period last year, according to a report by OAG Aviation Worldwide. Meanwhile US summer bookings are also down 25 percent among European tourists at Accor SA hotels, per the report.

"With each policy development, each rhetorical missive, we're just seeing unforced error after unforced error," Tourism Economics President Adam Sacks said. "It has a direct impact on international travel to the US," he said, Time Magazine reported.

"On our platform, the volume of bookings for outbound travel to the US remains stable around the upcoming May Day holiday, but client consultations for medium to long-term travel to the US have dropped," Xu Xiaolei, a marketing manager from CYTS Tours Holding Co., told the Global Times.

Xu said that most clients recently consulting about travel to the US asked whether it is safe to visit.

Due to factors such as high airfare, difficulty obtaining visas, and a lack of compelling tourism resources, the attractiveness of the US as a travel destination has steadily declined over recent years, Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Spring Tour, told the Global Times.

The US tourism industry has maintained a large trade surplus against other countries and regions. According to data released by the US Travel Association, the travel industry accounted for $1.3 trillion in direct spending in 2024 and supported nearly 15 million jobs in the US.

Booming China Travel

"Amid the complex international economic and trade situation, the US tourism industry will inevitably be impacted in the short term. However, this will create a spillover effect on other travel destinations, with international tourists expected to choose other long-distance destinations," Zhang Lingyun, professor and executive editor-in-chief of the Tourism Tribune, told the Global Times on Sunday.

China's visa-free policy makes traveling to China much easier, drawing global visitors eager to explore its unique blend of history, culture and innovation, Zhang said, noting that the country's expansion of instant tax refunds to improve the experience for international travelers gives a boost to China's inbound tourism.

Tiina Lientola, 47, a Finnish national living in Sweden and working as a product manager, visited China from April 13 to 18, traveling to Shanghai and Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province.

"I love the people - everyone we met is so kind and helpful," she said. "I am looking forward to more visits," she added, noting that "there's so much beauty and so many amazing futuristic buildings."

During the upcoming May Day holiday, the search index for inbound hotels has surged 200 percent year-on-year, while inbound tourism bookings have increased by 173 percent, according to data released by Chinese online travel agency Trip.com.

South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia, Malaysia, Thailand, the US, Australia, the UK, and Vietnam are among the top 10 sources of tourists, the data showed.

"As the Labor Day holiday approaches, we welcome more foreign friends to visit and have a delightful stay in China. Hope more households and people around the world will enjoy Chinese-made products of high quality and favorable prices," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Monday.

China has shifted from exporting goods to "importing" consumers, with many American tourists dragging empty suitcases across the Pacific to go on shopping sprees in China and spark a reverse purchasing boom for Made-in-China products, according to media reports.

The demand for Chinese products from ordinary consumers from other countries means that there is still a sales channel and market for made-in-China goods despite the US' steep tariffs, Jiang Han, a researcher from the Beijing-based think tank Pangoal Institution, told the Global Times.

Jiang noted that robust foreign demand will in turn, encourage Chinese producers to continuously improve product quality through innovation, enhancing their international competitiveness and helping them better deal with the challenges posed by US unilateralism and protectionism.